Guide to the Seattle Housing Authority Annual Reports 1940-[ongoing]

Overview of the Collection

	Repository Name:		Seattle Municipal Archives PO Box 94728 600 Fourth Avenue, Floor 3 Seattle, WA 98124-4728 Phone: 206/233-7807 Email: archives@seattle.gov http://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives
	Collection Number:		1802-I4
	Creator:		Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk
	Title:		Seattle Housing Authority Annual Reports
	Dates:		1940-[ongoing] (inclusive)
	Quantity:		.4 cubic foot 1 box
	Languages:		Collection materials are in English.
	Summary:		Annual reports of the Seattle Housing Authority, 1940-1985; reports include information on visual and textual housing data in Seattle.

Historical Note

The Local Advisory Housing Commission was established in 1937 by Seattle City Council. In 1939, the Mayor appointed members of the newly-created Seattle Housing Authority. The Seattle Housing Authority is now a municipal corporation governed by an executive director who reports to a seven-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the Mayor. The agency provides over 6,000 housing units for more than 24,000 low-income Seattle residents.

The mission of the Seattle Housing Authority is "to enhance the Seattle community by creating and sustaining decent, safe, and affordable living environments that foster stability and increase self-sufficiency for people with low incomes." Its income comes from City grants, federal subsidies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and rents.

Source: Seattle Housing Authority web site.

Content Description

The annual reports date from 1940 to 1985 and are a source of information on housing data in Seattle, both visual and textual. Annual reports will continue to be added to the series. Early reports include information on commission members, the year's activities, relevant laws, and Seattle's housing needs. The year's activities are often presented in the form of a timeline; a narrative discussion presents highlights. Low-income housing projects (such as Yesler Terrace) and war housing projects (including Sand Point Defense Housing Project, Rainier Vista, Holly Park, and High Point, as well as temporary housing and dormitories) figure prominently in early reports.

Housing options for those working in defense industries are discussed in the World War II-era reports; the 1945 annual report provides an overview of the Authority's activities during the war years. The post-war reports discuss housing shortages and options for veterans' families.

Community activities, budget issues, project financing, housing eligibility, housing costs, and the Authority's no-segregation policy are also discussed in the annual reports. Later reports discuss projects to provide housing for elderly and handicapped Seattle residents. 1960s reports -- entitled Housing Headlines -- include brief narrative updates on project and activities as well as some statistics; the "Turnkey" construction program figures prominently in late 1960s and early 1970s reports. The 1998 Annual Population Report contains a demographic overview of the residents of three Seattle Housing Authority programs.

Arrangement

Annual reports are arranged chronologically by year.

Administrative Information

Custodial History

Records were originally filed with the City Clerk in the Comptroller/Clerk's Files (CFs) and were removed to create this record series.

Future Additions

Annual reports will continue to be added to the series.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access

Records are open to the public.

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle Housing Authority Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-I4. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Yesler Terrace Garden Community (Seattle, Wash. : Public housing development)

Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government

Discrimination in housing--Washington (State)--Seattle

Housing authorities--Washington (State)--Seattle

Housing--Washington (State)--Seattle

Low-income housing--Washington (State)--Seattle

Public housing--Washington (State)--Seattle

Soldiers--Housing--Washington (State)--Seattle

Annual reports

Other Creators :

Seattle Housing Authority

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Seattle Housing Authority Annual Reports, 1940-[ongoing]